Articulated structure for railway cars



Nov. 9, 1965 F. c. KULIEKE 3,216,370

ARTIGULATED STRUCTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Dec. 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MM M/M'W NOV. 9, 1965 c. uL K 3,216,370

ARTICULATED STRUCTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Dec. 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v g g. 26' J7 6' 7 l b l MW WWQ United States Patent 3,216,370 ARTICULATED STRUCTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Frederick C. Kulieke, Alliance, Ohio, assignor to Amsted Industries Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 329,731 6 Claims. (Cl. 1054) This invention relates to a structure for pivotally interconnecting and supporting adjacent ends of two railway car bodies upon a common truck.

Briefly, the present invention contemplates the provision of means for pivotally interconnecting and supporting adjacent ends of primary and secondary car bodies upon a common truck, said means comprising primary and secondary end castings secured to the center sills of their respective car bodies and pivotally interconnected by a pivot pin having its lower end journaled in the truck bolster. To limit lateral tilting of the car bodies relative to the truck, the primary end casting is provided with lateral arms having primary side bearings engaging bolster side bearings and secondary side bearings slidably engaging underframe side bearings on the secondary car body.

An object of the invention resides in the provision of means for pivotally interconnecting and supporting adjacent ends of two railway car bodies upon a single truck.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of connecting means comprising primary and secondary end castings secured to the center sills of their respective car bodies and pivotally interconnected by a pivot pin having its lower end journaled in the truck bolster.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an articulated connection embodying side hearing means operable to limit lateral tilting movement of the car bodies.

The invention embodies other novel features, details of construction, and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in the specification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top plan view illustrating an articulated connection embodying features of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse section taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a section taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a schematic view illustrating the invention.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of the invention, the articulated connection 5 for interconnecting and supporting adjacent ends of two railway car bodies 2 and 3 is shown as comprising a primary end casting 4 and a secondary end casting 6. The primary end casting 4 is secured to the center sill 7 on the car body 2, and the secondary end casting 6 is secured to the center sill 8 on the car body 3.

The primary end casting 4 comprises a lower wall 9 having an annular bearing boss 11 projecting downwardly therefrom to rotatably engage a center bearing 12 on a conventional bolster 13 of a six wheel truck 15. The lower wall 9 and upper wall 14 of the casting 4 are provided with coaxial vertical bores 16 and 17, respectively, to receive a pivot pin 18 having its lower end journaled in a socket 19 formed in the bolster 13.

An annular concave seat 21 is formed on the upper side of the lower wall 9 for engagement by a convex surface 22 formed on the head 23 of the secondary end cast ing 6, the head having a vertical aperture 24 to loosely receive the pivot pin 18. A cover plate 26 is secured to the upper surface of the upper wall 14 above the bore 17 to prevent accidental upward displacement of the pivot pin 18.

Side bearing arms 27 extend laterally from opposite sides of the primary end casting 4 and are provided at their ends with primary side bearings 28 for engagement against their respective bolster side bearings 29. The side bearing arms 27 are provided with offset portions 31 extending toward the secondary car body 3. Secondary side bearings 32 are provided on the ends of their respective offset portions 31 for engagement under body side bearings 33 provided on the underframe 34 of the secondary car body 3.

As illustrated schematically in FIGURE 5, adjacent ends of the car bodies 2 and 3 are interconnected for relative universal movement by means of the connection 5 pivotally mounted on the bolster 13 of a six wheel truck 15, the remote ends of said car bodies being supported upon conventional four wheel trucks 36. It is contemplated that remote ends of the car bodies will be provided with conventional automatic car couplers.

I claim:

1. In an articulated structure for interconnecting and supporting adjacent ends of two railway car bodies having underframes and center sills, a primary end casting secured to the center sill of one car body, a secondary end casting secured to the center sill of the other car body, a pivot pin interconnecting said castings, and a truck bolster having a center bearing supporting said castings, said primary end casting having primary side bearings, said bolster having side bearings slidably engaged under said primary side bearings, said primary end casting having secondary side bearings, the underframe on said other car body having side bearings slidably engaged over said secondary side bearings, said secondary end casting having a head portion supported for universal movement on the primary end casting, said bolster having a socket engaging the lower end of said pivot pin.

2. In an articulated structure for interconnecting and supporting adjacent ends of two railway car bodies having underframes and center sills, a truck bolster having a center bearing and a pivot pin socket, a primary end casting secured to the center sill of one car body and having an annular bearing boss rotatably supported upon said center bearing, a secondary end casting secured to the center sill of the other of said car bodies and having a head supported for universal movement on the primary end casting, said head and bearing boss having openings in vertical alignment with said pivot pin socket, and a pivot pin extending downwardly through said openings and having its lower end journaled in said socket.

3. In an articulated structure for interconnecting and supporting adjacent ends of two railway car bodies having underframes and center sills, a truck bolster having a center bearing and a pivot pin socket, a primary end casting secured to the center sill of one car body and having an annular bearing boss rotatably supported upon said center bearing, a secondary end casting secured to the center sill of the other of said car bodies and having a head supported for universal movement on the primary end casting, said head and bearing boss having openings in vertical alignment with said pivot pin socket, and a pivot pin extending downwardly through said openings and having its lower end journaled in said socket, said head and bearing boss having complementary abutting concavo-convex surfaces.

4. In an articulated structure for interconnecting and supporting adjacent ends of two railway car bodies having underframes and center sills, a truck bolster having a center bearing and a pivot pin socket, a primary end casting secured to the center sill of one car body and having an annular bearing boss rotatably supported upon said center bearing, a secondary end casting secured to the center sill of the other of said car bodies and having a head supported for universal movement on the primary end casting, said head and bearing boss having openings in vertical alignment with said pivot pin socket, and a pivot pin extending downwardly through said openings and having its lower end journaled in said socket, said head and bearing boss having complementary abutting concave-convex surfaces, said primary end casting having a top wall spaced above said bearing boss and having an aperture to receive the upper end of said pivot pin.

5. In an articulated structure for interconnecting and supporting adjacent ends of two railway car bodies having underframes and center sills, a truck bolster having a center bearing and a pivot pin socket, a primary end casting secured to the center sill of one car body and having an annular bearing boss rotatably supported upon said center bearing, a secondary end casting secured to the center sill of the other of said car bodies and having a head supported for universal movement on the primary end casting, said head and bearing boss having openings in vertical alignment with said pivot pin socket, and a pivot pin extending downwardly through said openings and having its lower end journaled in said socket, said head and bearing boss having complementary abutting concavo-convex surfaces, said primary end casting having a top wall spaced above said bearing boss and having an aperture to receive the upper end of said pivot pin, and means on said top wall to engage said pivot pin against upward movement through said aperture.

6. An articulated structure according to claim 5 in which primary side bearings are provided on arms projecting from opposite sides of said primary end casting, said bolster is provided with side bearings for abutting slidable engagement under said primary side bearings, said arms having secondary side bearings, and the underframe on the other of said car bodies having side bearings for abutting slidable engagement over said secondary side bearings.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,250,609 7/41 Shills et al. -4 2,737,903 3/56 McCormick IDS-4- 2,846,954 8/58 Gaynor 105-4 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

EUGENE G. BOTZ, Examiner. 

5. IN AN ARTICULATED STRUCTURE FOR INTERCONNECTING AND SUPPORTING ADJACENT ENDS OF TWO RAILWAY CAR BODIES HAVING UNDERFRAMES AND CENTER SILLS, A TRUCK BOLSTER HAVING A CENTER BEARING AND A PIVOT PIN SOCKET, A PRIMARY END CASTING SECURED TO THE CENTER SILL OF ONE CAR BODY AND HAVING AN ANNULAR BEARING BOSS ROTATABLY SUPPORTED UPON SAID CENTER BEARING, A SECONDARY END CASTING SECURED TO THE CENTER SILL OF THE OTHER OF SAID CAR BODIES AND HAVING A HEAD SUPPORTED FOR UNIVERSAL MOVEMENT ON THE PRIMARY END CASTING, SAID HEAD AND BEARING BOSS HAVING OPENINGS IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID PIVOT PIN SOCKET, AND A PIVOT PIN EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID OPENINGS AND HAVING ITS LOWER END JOURNALED IN SAID SOCKET, SAID HEAD AND BEARING BOSS HAVING COMPLEMENTARY ABUTTING CONCAVO-CONVEX SURFACES, SAID PRIMARY END CASTING HAVING A TOP WALL SPACED ABOVE SAID BEARING BOSS AND HAVING AN APERTURE TO RECEIVE THE UPPER END OF SAID PIVOT PIN, AND MEANS ON SAID TOP WALL TO ENGAGE SAID PIVOT PIN AGAINST UPWARD MOVEMENT THROUGH SAID APERTURE. 